The world, the media, and our daily lives have been deeply impacted by the coronavirus and the threat that could be heading towards the Lowcountry. With the panic and worry that comes from these types of situations, I wanted to take a moment to put the virus and the current state of things into perspective for you. Let's just take this one day at a time. 

Hey everybody, Dr. Bob here from Lowcountry Chiropractic. Today we are going to talk about a very hot topic; the coronavirus (COVID-19). What I want to do today is explain a little about it, about viruses, infections in general, and what you can practically do to protect yourself so you don't get infected. The coronavirus is a respiratory infection and is very similar to the flu. I want to start by saying that there is a lot of hype about the coronavirus. There is a lot of panic out there, and people are very worried about this situation. What I want to do is to try and be practical about all of this and put your fears to rest. I'm not trying to minimize how you might be feeling about it at all, but I want to put everything that's going on right now into perspective. 

How I plan on putting everything into perspective is by comparing coronavirus to the flu virus that we get in the US every year. Right now, roughly, there are about 140,000 coronavirus cases worldwide with 5,000 deaths. Just to put that into perspective, this year so far 35+ million people have been infected by the flu virus in the US alone and 20,000+ people have died. In the United States, the coronavirus has infected 1,800 people and 40 people have died. If you put all of this into perspective, the flu virus we get every year that no one really talks about anymore that has a vaccination, is much more deadly than what we are seeing so far with the coronavirus. I want to urge everyone to stay calm and to take precautions and that is what we are going to talk about today. 

What can you do to put yourself in the best place possible so you don't get infected? The CDC has a bunch of practical advice for anyone looking to prevent and prepare. I'll go through those points quickly with you. I'm sure you've heard all of these recommendations before, and many of them are no brainers. 

• Avoid close contact with infected people. Now, if you're infected, the same holds. You don't want to go out where there are a lot of people and spread it around. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throw it away. Cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm instead of your hands so you don't spread it around. 
• Clean and disinfect objects that you use frequently. Household surfaces, desks, computer/laptop keys, your cell phones, and tablets. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. It is recommended by the CDC to do so for at least 20 seconds. Wash your hands after using the restroom, before you eat, after blowing your nose, and after coughing or sneezing. 

Those are some of the practical ways you can help yourself from getting infected. 

Now, I'd like to talk a little bit about vaccinations. Right now there is no vaccination out there for the coronavirus. Until then, we need to be careful and apply caution. When there is a vaccination, how does a vaccination work? A vaccination is putting a dead virus into your body, causing the body to create antibodies to defend itself against the real thing if you ever come into contact with it. We've talked about vaccinations before. I'm not a big fan of them because at best they are on average about 33% effective. This is because the virus vaccination is made by taking three of the most common strains that we would most probably get, and the vaccination is made out of that. Sometimes a new strain appears that we have no vaccination against, and that is when those death numbers rise.  Plus, you're putting a virus into your body, along with bacteria and other things like detergent and other questionable things that are found inside vaccinations. 

Absent from doing vaccinations in general, what I want to suggest is the fact that you can't kill viruses with antibiotics. They are very resilient. What you can do is get your immune system working better. You can strengthen your immune system and there are a couple of ways to do that! 

Supplements
D3 is one of the best supplements you can give your body. The only place it occurs naturally is from direct sunlight. The only way it can enter your body is from direct sunlight or from taking this supplement. You can't find it in food or anywhere else. This particular supplement is small and inexpensive, and you can take it at a high dosage. What this supplement does is increase your immune system's response to things. It helps to fight off colds and flus, infections, and things of that nature. Right now you can take large doses, even double up on it. That is what I'm personally doing right now (5,000-10,000 IU/day). Taking a double dose won't hurt you. The body will get rid of anything extra it doesn't need or can't use. 

The Wellness Formula
This supplement is chock full of immune building vitamins and nutrients. This you only want to take when you feel like you're coming down with something. You take this for a short amount of time to get your immune system into hyperdrive to defeat whatever it is that you're fighting off. 

Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care is very important. Why? How does it help in this situation? Remember the nerves in your spine control every organ, gland, blood vessel, skin cell, muscle, tissue, and system in your body among which is the immune system. That's the big one, especially in this particular situation. This is the system that helps keep you healthy. By keeping your vertebra in alignment, and your nerves functioning well, it keeps all other systems in your body working optimally. So, by going to a chiropractor regularly, even if you're not in pain, it's going to help keep your body healthy and prevent things like the flu, colds, sore throats, and other maladies that you might come into contact with. 

You know, we are all exposed to germs. Some people get sick, and some don't. What's the difference? There is only one. That one difference is how strong one immune system is compared to the other. If you have a strong immune system the likelihood of getting sick is less. Not to say you can't get infected, but it's going to be less than someone whose immune system is compromised. That's why most of the people who are dying from the coronavirus (and the common flu) are the elderly, or people who have a respiratory condition, or have a compromised immune system. The average age of someone falling prey to the coronavirus is around 80 years old. Their immune system is not strong. So if you are healthy and get infected with the coronavirus you will likely fully recover after getting some flu-like symptoms. 

This is the bottom line. You need to follow the practice steps the CDC has laid out, wash your hands, but on top of all that, the most important thing is to get your immune system working more efficiently and stronger. Following the three steps I provided can help you achieve that goal. I hope this blog has helped. If you feel like your body is not working at 100%, please come see us and we can chat, take a look at your spine, and help you get started to get to optimum health. Chiropractic care is extremely effective and it's all drug-free and surgery-free. 

I hope that helps! I'm Dr. Bob, and I've got your back covered!

It is known that Chiropractic helps the nervous system as well as the entire body, but how does it affect the brain? Many people suffer from mental illnesses like depression, stress, and anxiety. At Lowcountry Chiropractic, we strive toward a body that achieves overall wellness including the brain. Here are a few ways Chiropractic can help assist a life with mental illness.

Mental illnesses are a wide range of characteristics and symptoms caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.

Depression
Within the field of Chiropractic, there are many different ways to go about aligning the spine. It has been studied that if an Orthospinology technique is used to focus on the upper cervical vertebrae of the spine, the patient may have relief of their depression as well as side effects of said depression.

ADHD in children
While it is not an attempt to change a child’s personality, a study has shown that Chiropractic can be beneficial in assisting children with ADHD symptoms. This includes attention span, impulse control, and hyperactivity. Adjusting the spine and aligning it properly relieves pressure on nerves and can serve as a relaxing treatment.

Stress
Every person has experienced stress at some point in their life. Stress can cause the body a multitude of problems ranging from misalignment to muscle tension. Chiropractic can assist in the relaxation of muscles and nervous system by centering the body. This ultimately results in a body rid of stress for the time being. Many factors cause stress, but having a care plan for your body can relieve it.

Anxiety
Falling under a category similar to stress, anxiety can cause the body to become unregulated. While most anxiety is felt in the stomach or chest, it can also cause the entire body discomfort. With Chiropractic, keeping the body on a regular schedule of alignment can assist the body in healing after anxiety attacks or episodes. 

Keeping your body well overall can be difficult and time consuming. However, with Lowcountry Chiropractic’s help, we can get you on a wellness care plan that can assist you and your body in becoming a healthy version of yourself. Your body and your brain will thank you!